If you've ever trained an unruly dog, or dealt with a spoiled child, you probably know all about extinction bursts, even if you've never heard the phrase.
Hold on to your hats for what I'm about to suggest: The town hall disruptions and other tamper tantrums coming from the right of the right are not just annoying, they're great news for Democrats and progressives!
In operant conditioning, the term "extinction burst" refers to an increase of a (usually unwanted) behavior after the reinforcement for that behavior has been removed.
Have you ever watched Supernanny? The child who won't stay in her room and go to sleep is a perfect example. Usually, the parents have spent months or years unwittingly creating the behavior they wish to extinguish by positively reinforcing the child's whining, crying, screaming and head-banging.
When the parent's finally get smart (or hire the Supernanny), they realize that they must ignore the unruly behavior no matter what. Inevitably, the bad behavior worsens as the child tries frantically to get the attention she craves. That temporary increase in the undesired behavior is called an extinction burst. If the trainer is patient and consistent, the behavior will eventually go extinct.
Or, to put it another way, have you ever pushed a button for an elevator only to wait a very long time for the elevator car to arrive? Do you immediately head for the stairs? No. You push the button three or four or five times in rapid succession. If the car still fails to appear, then you finally head for the staircase.
That's what we are seeing with the rump of the Republican Party. In the past, their obstructionist and unruly methods of gaining political points have worked. The November 2008 election, however, was the grown-ups in America saying "Enough!" Naturally, we're seeing an extinction burst: teabagging; gun-brandishing; cries of Naziism, fascism, racism, and communism; death panels; Medicare scares; blatant racist attacks on the President.
All of this is good news - IF we hold our ground.
The last thing we want to create is the "slot-machine" effect. If your screaming child finally gets the best of you, and you offer her some cookies if she'll just be quiet and go to sleep, you may win a temporary peace, but you have guaranteed that she will scream even longer and louder the following night, making the task of retraining your child that much more difficult.
Compromising on the public health insurance option will not create a more harmonious Washington, nor will it stop the tragically comic outbursts from the fringe of the fringe. If we give in now, we'll see twice the intensity of the dangerous and outrageous behavior when it comes to changing energy policy, or repealing DADT legislation, or any other progressive cause.
Now is not the time to offer Republicans a hug, or a bedtime story, or a glass of warm milk. President Obama has, to his credit, tried all that with no results. Now it's time for the President and the Democratic Congress to go Supernanny on their obstructionist asses! Here's how it should go:
Democrats: "We're doing it. Robust public option, strict regulations, coverage for everyone. With or without you, we're doing it."
Republicans and a few Blue Dogs: "Bark. Bark bark, bark, bark. Bark, bark, bark BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK! BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK!
President Obama: "I am pleased that the Congress has passed this legislation. Even though the votes were strictly along party lines in the House, and the Senate was 51 to 50, this is what we need and deserve."